San Gabriel Valley Digest

Pomona : Woman Appeals Life Term

A West Covina woman convicted of plotting with her son to ambush and kill her husband has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Sharon Lavonne Alvarez, 40, is appealing the sentence by Pomona Superior Court Judge Glenn M. Pfau.

The other defendants were the woman's son, Donald Eugene Hoyt, 22, and his friend, Charles Monroe Peterson Jr., 21, both of West Covina. The three were convicted of conspiring to kill Celso Alvarez, 55, at his West Covina home in August, 1984, by luring him outside on the pretext of replacing a blown fuse. Police said Hoyt killed Alvarez, his stepfather, with a shotgun and escaped in a car driven by Peterson.

Hoyt received the same sentence as Alvarez last October and also has appealed. Peterson pleaded guilty to murder in July and was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison.

Because Alvarez and Hoyt were convicted of special circumstances connected to the crime, in addition to first-degree murder, they could be sentenced to life without parole.